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The 51% Guy
By Steve Farber, Author of The Radical Leap
Extreme Leaders seek extreme feedback because they need it in order to be great. That desire to hear the unpleasant truth brings us to one of the rules for seeking extreme feedback:
Shun the 51% Rule
A number of years ago, the General Manager of a distribution center for a multinational company hired me to come to Los Angeles and “teach leadership to those people.” He hadn’t said it that way, exactly, but as it turned out, that was the gist of it. He was infamous at his center for two incidents that epitomized his management approach.
Once, at an “all hands” meeting, he stood up and said, “I want your input and opinions on things around here. I want to know what you think. Just remember: I have fifty one percent of the vote.” The employees were so angry that they were still telling the story ten years later when I showed up. The 51% Rule, as it came to be known, meant, “Talk all you want, but this is my show. If you don’t like it, go home,” and it was—judging by his nickname—his legacy: employees called him “The 51% Guy,” and it was not a term of endearment.
When I first heard that story from some of his employees, I wondered if he’d been misunderstood. Maybe, I had said to them, he was trying to say that he wanted their ideas, and that he’d use that valuable input in making his decisions—which, I added, is a very smart way to run a business.
They laughed at me.
Then they told me about incident number two. Around the same time of his little speech, apparently, a few of the employees were in his office “offering their valuable insights into the improvement of the distribution center,” and in the middle of the conversation, the 51% Guy picked up a glass of water from his desk and said, “You see the water level in this glass? Watch what happens when I stick my finger in there. See how the level doesn’t change much when my finger is in the water or out? See that?” He wagged his moist index finger in front of their faces, “This is you.” He said. “Whether you’re here” (dunk) “or not” (wag) “it makes no difference to us.”
I know this isn’t hard science, but when you put the 51% speech together with the finger-dipping analogy, you get pretty clear anecdotal evidence that The Guy was an autocrat at best and more likely a dictator. The leadership training that he’d sponsored was nothing more than a vain attempt to bolster his image.
Bottom line: if you don’t want feedback, don’t ask for it. You’re not fooling anybody by pretending to be magnanimous. If you really have the desire, however, proceed to:
Put Yourself at Risk
Forget Superman. Forget Wonder Woman. There is no such thing as an invulnerable man or woman, so you can stop trying to be one at work. By asking for feedback (and meaning it) you automatically put yourself in what can feel like an exposed, underbelly-up-to-the-mad-wolves position. But — and this is counterintuitive — it’s really a very strong position for a leader to be in.
We follow human beings, not idealized icons of unattainable perfection, so your vulnerability gives us the opportunity to connect with you human to human, and a strong human connection engenders commitment and loyalty, the elements that every leader longs for in his or her team. Putting yourself at risk when asking for extreme feedback not only gives you the chance to learn from those around you, it deepens the relationships as well.
By Steve Farber, Author of The Radical Leap
After reading The Radical Leap, it was obvious to me why this book became one of The Top 10 Best Business Books for 2004 and received the Acclaimed Reader’s
Choice Award from Fast Company magazine.
But this is much more than a Leadership book!
Steve Farber’s inbox is jammed every day with more incredible stories of the profound and positive ways his book has helped so many people.
The Radical Leap is touching the lives of everyone from college students to Senior Citizens; CEO’s to Independent Business Entrepreneurs.
Not only am I a leader of my own company, but I coach other leaders, too, and this book shocked me into an awakened state! I have read hundreds of books in my lifetime, and this one has had the greatest impact on me. I know I’ll not only be a better leader, I’ll be a better person.
It may be a book positioned in the “business” category, but The Radical Leap is for anyone who is looking to get reawakened and completely inspired.
It’s also written in a story format—which makes it a very easy read—that will keep you captivated from page one all the way through to the end. In fact, you’ll likely do the same thing as I did – read it all in one sitting.
I also know that International Bestselling Author Tom Peters would never say anything good about something that he didn’t totally believe in, and this is what he said about the Radical Leap: “Awesome! I am an unabashed Farber fan!”
And, here are a few more endorsements of high praise for The Radical Leap:
“The Radical Leap is as enjoyable as it is important. Every leader needs to hear this message and take it to heart. This is a terrific book.” Patrick Lencioni, Author, The Five Dysfunctions of a Team
“This is one of the coooolest books I’ve read in recent years on the subject of leadership. In the leadership world, we need more PG-rated stories like this that ring of authenticity and, most important, applicability. Rock on, Steve.” --Tim Sanders, Author, Love is the Killer App.
Kevin Hogan
Network 3000 Publishing
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Eagan, MN 55123
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